Active Textile Fabrics from Weaving Liquid Crystalline Elastomer Filaments

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Textile Engineering
• Polymer Science

Background:

• Active fabrics that autonomously respond to environmental stimuli are highly sought after for smart textiles.
• Liquid crystal elastomers (LCEs) offer potential for large-stroke reversible actuation, mimicking human muscle.
• Producing LCE filaments suitable for traditional textile manufacturing, like weaving, has been a significant challenge.

Purpose of the Study:

• To craft active fabrics by incorporating LCE yarn into standard weaving processes.
• To investigate the influence of different LCE yarn types (soft and stiff) and weaving patterns on fabric performance.
• To identify optimal fabric structures for stimuli-responsive actuation and mechanical force generation.

Main Methods:

• Development of active fabrics using LCE fibers woven on a standard loom.
• Testing two types of LCE yarns (soft and stiff) within various weaving patterns.
• Characterization of fabric properties, including blocking force and reversible actuation strain.

Main Results:

• The twill pattern using stiffer LCE yarn achieved a maximum blocking force of 1-2 N cm⁻¹.
• The weft rib pattern demonstrated over 10% reversible actuation strain upon repeated heating cycles.
• Circular weaving patterns enabled reversible 3D shape changes, forming cone shapes when heated.

Conclusions:

• Successfully integrated active LCE yarns into woven fabrics using standard textile methods.
• Identified specific LCE yarn types and weaving patterns that yield high performance in terms of force and actuation.
• The combination of active LCE yarns with passive yarns offers transformative potential for creating novel stimuli-responsive actuating textiles.